Gov. Newsom cut fire budget by $100M months before lethal California fires: report
California fire prevention took a hit the year before the fires, but the Newsom administration claims it boosted overall funding since assuming office in 2019
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom cut funding for wildfire and forest resilience by more than $100 million just months before the wildfires currently ravaging Los Angeles broke out, according to a report.
However, a review of the state’s annual budgets under Newsom shows that direct spending on fire prevention has increased dramatically over the last six years.
The budget, signed in June and covering the 2024-25 fiscal year, eliminated $101 million from seven “wildfire and forest resilience” programs, according to an analysis according to an analysis by the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office and reported in Newsweek.
The California fires, responsible for destroying more than 10,000 buildings in the Los Angeles area, are still not contained.
Cal Fire had a $5 million reduction in spending on fuel reduction teams, including funds used to pay for vegetation management work by the California National Guard, the report noted.
Other changes:
- $28 million cut from multiple state conservancies that expand wildfire resilience
- $12 million cut from a “home hardening” experiment that would protect homes from wildfires
- $8 million cut from monitoring and research spending, mostly dedicated to Cal Fire and state universities
- $4 million cut from the forest legacy program, which encourages landowners to manage their properties
- $3 million cut from funding for an inter-agency forest data hub
